Explaining Multisystem Resilience in Undergraduate Students: A Mixed Method Research of Academic Stressors, Multi-Protective Factors, Cultural Systems, and Student Engagement

Abstract

This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study examines multisystemic resilience among Indonesian undergraduates (n=920). Quantitative analysis reveals that healthy lifestyles, psychological resilience, social-ecological resilience, and institutional support fully mediate the relationship between academic stress and student engagement. High stress does not impair engagement if these four protective factors are adequate. Although religious and cultural identities correlate with protective factors, they do not moderate the stress-engagement path. Qualitative data from 12 students across four resilience profiles emphasize the roles of experiential learning, the "courage to connect," and fostering environments. Findings suggest religious beliefs and internalized parental values function as cultural systems that shape students' mindsets and coping strategies. Ultimately, resilience is a dynamic, multisystemic process influenced by internal meaning systems and external supports. These results offer critical implications for individual interventions, resilience-based instructional design, and nationwide institutional policy in higher education.